


How to Raise a Venus Flytrap

by i_write_shakespeare_not_disney



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Teen Romance, klance, make out monday songs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-03-16 16:50:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13640370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_write_shakespeare_not_disney/pseuds/i_write_shakespeare_not_disney
Summary: Lance and his friends perform in a cafe where Lance swears he experiences love at first sight. But he's not sure what to do with those feelings when the person he fell for seems to hate him on sight. It isn't particularly easy to get a date with someone who hates your guts.





	1. Hope Less Romantics

**Author's Note:**

> If you've heard Make Out Monday's songs, that's basically where the inspiration for this came from.

For many, love at first sight was real. Though, in turn that meant hate at first sight was real too. Having that pass between the same two people? Well that was just life being a cruel bitch, as usual.

 The day Lance and his band came in to perform at the café just a block away from the college he attended, he’d laid eyes on the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. He was slender, with a sharp jawline, a light outline of muscles along the sleeves of his shirt, and a mess of black hair just long enough to make a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His eyes were angular and he had beautifully defined cheekbones. Ever the romantic, Lance could only describe the feeling as love at first sight.

He was standing behind the counter, taking orders and offering insincere smiles. His eyes had flitted over to where he stood with the others, his eyes falling to the instruments around them. Lance had watched as a dark eyebrow arched curiously before he returned his focus to the drink he was making.

Pidge was setting up her drums and twirling her drumsticks with her fingers, not even worried about the performance. Hunk was fixing him amp and tuning his electric guitar. Matt, Pidge’s brother, was chugging a bottle of water and humming under his breath. Lance was the only one who seemed to be nervous about the performance. And it wasn’t just because of the cute barista.

He gripped his bass and took a deep breath, going over the songs in his head. The café was usually full of teens and college students, so he figured the punk rock would go over well. And maybe he could impress that barista enough to get his number.

It was about time he moved on from Nyma. They’d broken up six months ago, but Lance still found himself writing songs revolving around her, part of him wanting her back, part of him hoping she burned in hell like the she-demon she was. He groaned and ran a hand through his hair, clearing his head.

He looked up and saw the barista smirking mockingly at him before rolling his eyes. Lance felt his face turn red, but he brushed it off. So much for coming off as the cool bassist.

“Come on dude, we only get an hour to perform,” Matt said, nudging him toward the platform at the corner of the café. “Did you do your vocal warm-ups?” Lance nodded even though he hadn’t. “Sure you did.”

Pidge repositioned her glasses to rest at the top of her head and sat at the drums with a sigh of relief. “Home sweet home,” she said with a smile. “Hey, Lance maybe you’ll get some numbers today. Everyone’s into band members.”

“Something tells me Matt’s going to be the one getting all the numbers.”

“And here I thought we were doing this to get the band recognized, not for dating,” Hunk said with a snort.

“Okay, hey everyone! We’re going to be performing some original songs for you today. I’m Matt, that’s Hunk, Lance, and Katie.” There were a few whoops from some girls for Pidge who smirked triumphantly. “We hope you like the songs. We’re Worshipping Wednesday and this first song is called Better When.”

Lance took a deep breath and listened to Pidge counting a beat with her sticks before he felt himself narrow in, focusing on the strings of his bass and the rhythm of the song. He sang along with Matt, his fingers moving out of memory rather than thought.

When the song was over, applause filled the café and Lance looked up to see a few impressed expressions. There were a few girls whispering and glancing at them as Matt introduced the next song, which somehow fueled the excitement in Lance. When the next song started, he could help but smirk when he caught one girl biting her lip as she watched him. He winked and watched her blush, turning to her friends. The nervousness was gone, and it was quickly being replaced by a sense of belonging.

He was on stage just like he’d dreamed of being when he was little, jumping around on his bed to Guns N’ Roses songs. And if he was totally honest, he loved the attention. It made him feel… almost powerful. He felt confident and at ease.

Then he saw the barista behind the counter with earphones on. Lance frowned and focused on singing, occasionally looking over at the guy who seemed unfazed by the music, bobbing his head along to whatever was playing in his ears instead. And Lance only knew that because between songs, the guy would still be mouthing words and nodding his head, stopping only when someone went up to order something.

Once their hour was up, Lance soaked up the applause and whistles that filled the café. He watched as people started to leave, having stayed to hear the music and felt even better. One girl went up Matt and he heard Pidge snort when the girl started twirling her hair and blushing. Meanwhile, she and Hunk started packing up their things.

“You guys want a coffee or anything?”

“I could go for a green tea,” Pidge said.

“I’m good,” Hunk answered.

Lance nodded and went to the counter, frowning when he saw someone new taking over while the other guy took off his apron and started to leave the café with a two fingered salute at the new guy taking orders.

The performing became a weekly thing. By the third week, Lance was determined to talk to the cute barista, partially because Pidge kept teasing him for staring, but also because the guy seemed unreachable. He’d watch them setting up, but Lance never got a chance to go up to him, because Matt had them perform immediately, and when it was over, the guy was leaving.

Fueled by the two girls that had previously given him their numbers, he decided that for the fourth time, he’d get there earlier and talk to the guy. There wasn’t a very long line, so he walked over and waited patiently for his turn.

Lance leaned against the counter and smiled brightly at the guy. “Hey. The name’s Lance.”

The guy blinked once and nodded. “I know. I had you for rhet and comp two last semester. Where’s the rest of your crew?”

“Ah, I decided to get here a little earlier. Get a chance to talk to the cutie behind the counter.” He narrowed his eyes and Lance felt his breath stop when he realized this guy had… _violet_ eyes. What kind of Elizabeth Taylor fantasy…? He cleared his throat and tilted his head. “You got a name or a number?”

The guy scowled and Lance stood up straight. There was a slight possibility this guy wasn’t into guys, but Lance had based himself solely on the rainbow colored bracelet around his pale wrist. “Keith. It’s on my name tag,” he answered. “Are you ordering anything or are you just going to keep dishing out shitty one-liners?”

“Alright, easy,” Lance said. “Didn’t mean to piss you off. Sorry if I assumed.”

“That’s not the problem.” Lance sputtered, but Keith huffed and glared at him. “If you’re not ordering, get out of line.”

“A caramel frap,” he answered back, just to have the last word.

“Size?” Lance smirked, and Keith took a sharp breath. “Jesus Christ. Forget it, that’s $5.89.”

Lance handed over six dollars. “Keep the change, Mullet.”

Violet eyes flashed angrily, and Lance would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy that just as much as he would’ve enjoyed getting his number.

Pidge, Matt, and Hunk came into the café while Lance waited on his drink to be called. It wasn’t called, but Lance saw it on the counter and scoffed at the pettiness of the barista. He went to get his drink and saw Keith raise an eyebrow almost daring him to comment. Lance smiled and nodded, taking his frap.

This could be a fun game.

The next week, Lance got there early again and leaned against the counter with a smirk, much to Keith’s annoyance. “Hey, Mullet. You in a better mood today?”

“That depends, are you going to be less annoying?” he snapped.

Lance pouted and winked. “Can I get an iced white mocha? With your number on the side of the cup like those rom com movies?”

“Fuck off,” Keith muttered. He charged Lance and ignored him after that.

When Lance went to get his drink, he noticed Keith searching his pockets with frustration. “Whatcha looking for? Pen for your number?”

“You wish,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “I usually have earphones to block out your shit music, and I don’t have them.”

Lance hummed at the insult, but brushed it off with a smile. “Don’t worry, Mullet, I’ll put on an extra-special performance for you.” He winked in response to the middle finger Keith showed him.

Sure enough, Lance sang with teasing vigor and sang directly to the barista, ignoring the way he seemed to scoff and make fun of the lyrics. He actually snorted and covered his mouth at one line in a song that said, “I’m incapable of love but I’ll give you the next best thing.”

When the song was over, Keith grimaced and shook his head, pointedly mouthing, _seriously?_

Lance rolled his eyes. He wasn’t sure if this was Keith’s way of bickering flirting, but despite his poking fun at his lyrics, he couldn’t seem to take it to heart.

It wasn’t until the next song that he felt his mood slip. He remembered writing this song for Nyma just before they started playing at the café. He was especially heartbroken when he worked on it, and each time he sung it, he missed her a little more.

“ _It’s been six months since I heard from you, thought I’d drop a line-”_ Lance cut off, letting Matt finish the line.

Suddenly, he was remembering those moments with Nyma. The way her flirting was sort of like Keith’s- if that’s what it was. She always teased him and soothed the sting with kisses. God, Lance wanted to hate her. He wanted to stop caring about her, he wanted to stop looking for her. And wh the hell did Matt decide to even play this one? He knew how Lance got with this stupid song. He sang the chorus through clenched teeth, hating how accurate it still was.

She still appeared in his dreams, and he still relished those moments of distant, dream-fuzzy kisses even though when he woke up, he wanted nothing more than to forget her.

It’s been seven months. Why couldn’t he move on?

Because he hadn’t been prepared to lose her. He hadn’t been prepared to let her go. He hadn’t wanted to.

Even when he walked into the apartment they’d shared just off campus and he’d seen her pressed against the wall in some other guy’s arms. Even when the first thing out of her mouth when she realized he was there was, “Lance, you’re supposed to be in class!” Even when he sort of already knew she was messing around with someone else.

He still hadn’t wanted to let her go. Because he loved her and she was supposed to be his one and only. She’d met his mom, for crying out loud.

When the song was over, Lance unstrapped his bass and hopped off the stage, heading to the bathroom without a word. He heard Matt say they were taking a break. He splashed his face with cold water and tried not to think of Nyma.

When he went back out, the band was packed and Pidge was looking at him with a reassuring smile, while Hunk looked at him with more of a worried expression. He looked at Matt and scoffed.

“What the hell, man? You didn’t even warn me!”

“I didn’t think it’d bug you! I’m sorry.”

Lance rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah. I’m gonna get out of here.”

“Lance, I’m sorry-”

“Yeah, it’s cool. Whatever.” He grabbed his things and walked out, heading for the apartment he now shared with Hunk. He’d been the one helping him with his broken heart after the break up, and Lance didn’t have the heart to send Nyma packing. Partially because he didn’t want to do that to her, but also because he couldn’t fathom living in the space she’d cheated on him in.

He left his guitar and his amp, then left again, walking around the neighborhood, journal in hand and a pen tucked behind his ear. The sun was still setting. Lance knew he had some homework, but he was ahead enough that he didn’t have to worry about that just yet. Instead he went to the bus stop nearby and started jotting down couplets and quatrains for a new song, scratching out words and phrases and scribbling in new ones, using arrows to relocate and shift them. His first drafts were always messy.

Occasionally, he’d leave a small doodle to base some lyrics off of. A pair of eyes, a disproportioned hand, a flock of flying birds, a silhouette of some unnamed person, sometimes Nyma’s name. He particularly enjoyed scratching her name out. And drawing horns on top of the block of scribbles. Bitch.

Finally, with a song that went nowhere and a page filled with more scratched out lines than usable lyrics, he slammed the journal shut and pulled his phone out to listen to music.

Maybe it was stupid and pathetic. But for the last seven months, stupid and pathetic seemed to be all Lance could do. So he couldn’t bring himself to stop the tears that filled his eyes.

\--

The following week, Lance made a detour to the library on campus for a research paper he had to do. While he was searching through bookshelves for the right section, he heard a bubbly laugh, a little too loud for a library even though it was relatively empty anyway.

He looked over and raised an eyebrow when he saw Keith in normal clothes. Well, sort of normal. He was dressed in all black and had a red zip-up sweater open over a black Bon Iver shirt. He was talking to one of the student library helpers, waving as the former walked away.

“Wow, I almost didn’t recognize you with that smile on your face,” Lance said, walking over to him.

Keith turned and scowled when he saw Lance. “Yeah, I almost didn’t recognize you either. Your mouth was shut.”

Lance scoffed and gave him a cocky smile. “That hurts, Mullet.”

“Really? Why don’t you go write a song with cheesy metaphors about it?” Lance frowned and crossed his arms. When he was quiet for too long, Keith looked over at him and smirked. “What?”

Lance stepped closer and smiled when he saw Keith’s smile falter as he pressed closer to the books behind him. “I really get you all riled up, huh?” Keith scowled up at him, violet eyes dark and angry. “You know, if this were a movie, this would be where I kiss you and make you acknowledge the huge crush you have on me.”

“That’s pretty cocky for a guy that looks like a Mexican rag doll.”

Lance stepped back, grimacing. “I’m Cuban.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did my assumption offend you?” Keith turned away, grabbed a book, and then left Lance to stand alone like an idiot.

Okay, so it wasn’t flirting.

He left the library, feeling slightly off put, but unable to really bring himself to give up on Keith. Maybe the guy did hate Lance, but….

Lance didn’t hate him. Even if all of their interactions had been filled with Keith insulting him…. Maybe Lance was a masochist. Maybe he had a humiliation kink. What else could be the reason behind his pining after people that made fun of him and had the potential to make him feel like shit?

Still, there was something about Keith…. Something in the solemn, wary look in his eyes. And honestly, his laugh was such a nice sound, and Lance wanted the chance to be the reason behind it. It was obvious Keith wasn’t a dick to everyone he met. He was polite to the strangers that ordered at the café, and he seemed to get along with the library helpers. It was just with Lance that he seemed to have no mercy or regard for feelings.

That should’ve put him off, but instead, it made him more eager.

He left the library after getting what he needed, and soon found himself scribbling lyrics into the margins of what were supposed to be his notes. For once, they weren’t heartbroken or lovesick. They were playful and light, and… Lance thought they had some serious potential. He highlighted them to remember to jot them down in his journal, then tried to focus on his homework.

During one of his breaks, he went online checking his newsfeed. His family was watching a soccer game. His friends from high school were posting pictures of their babies or of their nights out drinking. His current friends were sharing articles from Buzzfeed or promoting the Fall play.

Then there, in the margin, was a familiar face. Unable to ignore his curiosity, he clicked on Keith’s profile and hummed when he saw a lot of basic information was available to the public. He had a blurry profile picture where he seemed to be drinking at SXSW. His banner was a landscape picture of some place with several European looking building, mountains, and bright green trees. He’d have thought it was a screensaver default if not for the detail that Keith was standing on something and staring out at the scene in the middle of the picture.

His likes were available, advertising lots of bands Lance hadn’t heard of and nonfiction books. The page listed his birthday, his relationship status (single), his job (Jo’s Café), and his education (graduated from a high school in Houston that Lance recognized and attending the same college of course).

Okay, this was verging on stalker territory. The question in small font at the top teased Lance. _Do you know Keith? To see what they share with friends, send them a friend request!_

Lance wondered if the them was a generalized them or if Keith was non-binary or something. He also knew that sending a friend request now would be stupid, because there was no way Keith would add him back. Not to mention, he’d probably wonder how Lance had found him. And it’s not like Lance would have the chance to say _Hey, we go to the same school, so you came up on my People You May Know list!_

Well, he could, but then it’d show he was trying to hard or cared too much. And he was trying not to let Keith know that.

Instead, Lance took to checking out the bands Keith seemed to like.

Granted, with the way Keith carried himself- themselves?- indie music was the last thing Lance expected to connect with Keith. He’d figured Keith would be more into rock- either classic 80s or that alternative stuff like Green Day and Fall Out Boy. Did those count as alternative? Whatever.

The point was… these songs were a lot softer, filled with deeper metaphors and gentle sounds and free-spirited lyrics. They were the kind of music you could have in the background without it bothering you or the kind you could spend hours listening to over and over to decipher. It was interesting to say the least.

Lance saw Keith around campus a few more times during the week, but never close enough to start a conversation. So he waited until the weekend when they were supposed to perform again. This time, Matt had gone over the songs with Lance, who gave him the thumbs up.

Just as he was about to leave for the café, Pidge and Matt came into the apartment.

“Why do you always leave earlier?” Matt asked.

“He’s hitting on the barista, that’s why,” Pidge answered, smirking at Lance. “Have you gotten anywhere with that?”

“It’s complicated,” he answered.

Hunk snorted and shook his head. “Dude, I have the guy for class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He’s a nice guy. Just go for it.”

“He’s nice to you?” Lance questioned. “All he does is insult me.”

“Could be playing hard to get?” Matt offered.

“Uh, no,” Pidge answered. “No one this day and age acts mean to play hard to get. Especially if a person is inherently nice. I’ve gone into the café to study and he’s completely polite to me.”

“Then what gives?” Lance whined.

She rolled her eyes and looked at him in exasperation. “Maybe consider the obvious? He probably just doesn’t like you.”

“That’s harsh, Pidge,” Hunk said.

She sighed and shrug. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat it! Just forget about him.”

But Lance felt agitated now. “No. I mean, I didn’t do anything to him. Why would he be such an asshole to me and nice to everyone else? I didn’t do anything to make him not like me!” Lance thought of the backhanded insults he’d been given and felt even more defeated. It wasn’t fair. He deserved answers.

“Alright, why don’t we go ahead and head over? I could use a hot chocolate anyway,” Matt said, patting Lance reassuringly on the back.

When they arrived at the café, Lance looked over to the counter and saw Keith making three drinks at once, moving quickly and efficiently. He walked over and stood in line, waiting his turn. He saw as Keith’s polite smile fell the second he saw him.

“You’re like clockwork,” he muttered. “So what’s it going to be today? Save the shitty one-liner.”

“I literally haven’t said anything,” Lance pointed out.

“It’s a precaution.”

Lance huffed and pulled out six dollars. “Raspberry Italian soda with cream.” Keith nodded wordlessly and Lance walked away, feeling put off and confused.

Later, once they were performing, Lance could actually feel the anger washing over him after every soft, polite smile Keith gave the strangers that ordered. Each one was met with a smile. It wasn’t real- not like when Lance found him laughing in the library. But it wasn’t an exhausted scowl. It made Lance antsy.

He was a nice guy. He talked too much sometimes, and his jokes weren’t always the best, and yeah he used really cheesy one-liners, but he didn’t think that warranted such vicious behavior from a guy he barely knew.

Once their hour was up, Lance started packing up. Then he saw Keith leaving the café, and he left his equipment alone, letting Hunk know he’d be back.

He rushed out, tugging on his jacket as he followed after Keith. “Hey!” Keith turned, and Lance heard him groan. He didn’t stop walking, ignoring Lance. Lance jogged to reach him and called his name again. “Dud, what gives?” he snapped.

“What are you talking about?” Keith asked, turning to fix him with an aggravated expression.

“I’m talking about the fact that everyone says you’re this nice guy, but you’ve been nothing but a dick to me.”

Keith’s mouth fell open and he scoffed. “You’re joking right?”

“No! I don’t get it. Why do you hate me so much? I never did anything to you, and all you’ve done is insult me. I thought it was some quirky way of flirting, but then you just….” He shrugged, letting his hands fall to his sides. “I don’t get why you have to be such an ass to me.”

Keith stepped closer to him and looked him in the eyes. “You’re serious,” he noted. Lance rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “You want to know why I’m such an asshole to you? Because the first thing you do when you talked to me was hit on me. You couldn’t even bother to ask me my name properly. And you just kept up this ridiculous faux confidence player act! You didn’t know when to quit and you were cocky and so fucking full of yourself. You gave a shitty first impression. So yeah, my immediate response to you is to say what it takes to get you to leave me the fuck alone.”

Lance stepped back, feeling hurt and… stupid. “I just wanted to get to know you.”

“Then ask to be my friend! Talk to me without hitting on me or looking at me like I’m something to eat!” Keith scoffed and shook his head. “And that condescending little thing you do, where you make it seem like getting hit on by you is the best thing that could happen to someone? Stop that. You’re feeding into the stupid male bravado-”

“Alright, I get it! Jeez. I didn’t even…. I didn’t realize I was coming off that way.” Keith grit his teeth and stared at him. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t know I was making you uncomfortable or… acting like a stupid frat boy.” He sighed and held up a finger. He turned away from Keith then turned again to face him. “Hi. I’m Lance. What’s your name?”

Keith regarded him. He stayed quiet for a moment then sighed. “I know. I had you for rhet and comp 2 last semester. I’m Keith.”

“Cool.” He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets and smiled. “So what did you think of the band?”

Keith smiled, relenting and looked away. “A little generic, but pretty good. Catchy songs.”

“Oh, cool. I write the lyrics. You wanna meet the others? They’re my friends, they’re pretty cool.” Keith hesitated and Lance smiled. “If you have somewhere to be, that’s cool. Maybe next time?”

Keith looked at him with a surprised look. “I’ve got time.”

Lance broke into a full smile and Keith scoffed and looked away. Lance led him back to the café and led him over to where the others were sitting, drinking coffee. Pidge looked up and raised her eyebrows, looking shocked. “No fucking way.”

Lance gestured to them each in turn. “That’s Hunk, my roommate. That’s Matt and Katie- we call her Pidge- they’re brother and sister. Guys, this is Keith. We just met.”

“Wait, what are you talking about? He-”

“No, no, we just met. First time talking and everything,” he insisted.

Pidge looked confused and Keith gave her a smile. “He got a do-over,” he whispered. Pidge nodded, as if that made total sense. “Nice to meet you guys.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Hunk answered with a smile. Matt chuckled and nodded in agreement.

Lance turned to Keith and tilted his head questioningly. “Better?” he whispered.

“Much better,” he answered. Lance smiled triumphantly and Keith chuckled. A smile directed at Lance! “I need to catch my bus, so….”

“Do you want some company while you wait?”

Keith looked at Lance and shrugged. “Sure.” Lance followed him out and over to a bench a few feet away from the café. “So you don’t have a car?”

“I do. But the bus saves me money.” Lance nodded. “What are you studying?”

“English Writing. Don’t ask me what jobs I can get with that, I have no idea.”

Keith laughed, tilting his head back and Lance felt warm inside. “I won’t ask,” he assured. “You like writing, then?”

“Yeah. Song writing. Poems a bit. I’ve always wanted to write a book, but… I don’t really have any ideas.” Keith hummed and nodded. “What about you?”

“Psychology. Minor in French. I also have no clue what jobs I can get with that minor, but I had the credits halfway done.”

“French, huh? Fancy.” Keith snorted. “Why psychology?”

“It’s cheaper than paying to see an actual psychologist.” Lance looked at him in confusion and Keith smiled. “I’d explain, but you have to reach a level four friendship to unlock my backstory.”

“You stole that from the internet.”

“I did.” Keith smirked and shrugged. “So what made you start a band?”

Lance hummed and shrugged. “We’ve been friends for a while and I needed a distraction from heartbreak.”

This time, Keith looked at him in confusion. After a beat of silence, he asked, “Level four friendship?”

“Level four friendship,” Lance confirmed, keeping his details to himself. “But, I dunno, I’ve been told I use too many cliché metaphors in my lyrics.”

Keith groaned and it morphed into a pained chuckle. Then he seesawed his hand and shrugged. “Maybe a bit. They’re a little cheesy. What’s that one line…. _Give them your bullets, they’ll hurt less when they throw them back?_ Yeesh.” Lance scoffed and felt himself blush. “It’s just… it’s a good song! There’s just…. Okay, you like poetry a little, right? It’s like using the whole, love is like a rose thing too much. You gotta… make things strange again. Look at them in a new way instead of the way you’re used to seeing them. You’re used to the love-rose connection. So step away from it. Find something else to connect it to. Maybe… hate is like a rose. Or maybe love is like a Venus fly-trap.”

“Huh,” Lance mused thinking those similes over. They did make a little more sense. And they were different. “I like that. Maybe you could help me on a song then. Help me… make it a little deeper. Different.”

“I’m not much of a song writer, but I can try,” he said with a smile. Smiles looked nice on him. The sound of an engine cut through the evening and Keith stood up. “That’s my bus. I guess… I’ll see you around campus, then.”

“Yeah. I’ll be sure to say hi. In a normal way.”

Keith smiled and his eyes sparkled in the setting sun. They left Lance kind of breathless. Then he turned to face the bus as it screeched to a stop. He got on, and Lance stood up, waving goodbye before going back to the café.

He slumped into a chair and sighed in content. His friends looked at him in confusion.

“Are you going to explain what that was all about?” Matt asked.

“Did you get his number?” Pidge asked. He shook his head.

“Did you ask him out on a date?” Hunk asked. He shook his head again. “So… what happened?”

 Lance smiled and rested his chin in his hand. “I made a new friend.”

His friends shared uncertain expressions. Hunk patted his shoulder and Pidge shook her head mumbling something about how Lance has finally lost it. Matt just sipped his drink and shrugged it off. Meanwhile, Lance scribbled onto a napkin.

_hate = rose_

_love = venus flytrap_

_purple = warmth_


	2. Party on the Weekend

Fuck Valentine’s Day.

Fuck Facebook Memories.

Fuck Nyma Pedraza.

Okay, so Lance was more than a little bitter. That was to be expected after a bad break up. Except, Pidge had pointed out, that break up happened nearly nine months ago and it should’ve stopped feeling so fresh ages ago.

He supposed he knew it would be a bad day when he woke up from a dream where he was on a date and getting cuddled by someone who kept morphing between Keith and Nyma. He’d felt lonely and all the memories had decided to hit him the second he registered the emptiness of the bed he was in. He’d checked his phone, scrolled through Tumblr, scowled at lovesick posts and fanart, switched to Facebook-

Only to be slapped across the face by a picture of him and Nyma the year before. He’d bought her one of those giant bouquets of roses, a ridiculously expensive stuffed bear, and had taken her back home to Houston- _three goddamn hours away by car-_ just so she could get a taste of authentic Mexican tacos because she’d been craving them and kept complaining to Lance that Austin had jack shit in regards to Mexican culture. Granted, it went for all Hispanic cultures. Lance hadn’t found a decent place with Cuban food either. The photo showed them eating tacos, Nyma holding her roses, and the bear in the backseat. She was smiling so widely and Lance remembered the way she’d tackled him into a kiss after the picture. It tasted like grilled onion and cilantro, but he hadn’t cared because he loved her so fucking much and he’d made her happy and he was proud of that.

He hadn’t even cared that when she fell asleep, her head lolled against the window and her jacket had slipped enough to show a hickey Lance knew he hadn’t placed there. Nyma hated hickeys in obvious spots.

He’d shut his phone off and promptly screamed into his pillow, cursing her in English and Spanish to the depths of hell.

He was significantly quieter, sullen even in his walk. He saw cars zip by with giant heart balloons in the passenger seat and guys driving off to find their significant other. He saw couples walking hand in hand around him. It wasn’t as bad as high school where everyone was dressed for the day and walking around with Valentine grams and shit, but he hadn’t been this heartbroken in high school.

He walked to the bookstore on campus to restock on lead for his pencils and buy another notebook and maybe a few pens. He was brought back to reality for a moment when he saw Keith musing over the tiny, limited electronic section the university had.

He walked over and tilted his head when Keith turned to the sound of footsteps. “Hey there, friend.”

Keith smirked and rolled his eyes. “Hey, friend.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Some decent headphones to get me through the day. I lost mine. What about you?” Keith reached out to inspect a set of cheap-looking black earphones.

Lance shrugged. “I needed lead for my pencils, but then I figured I could get a new pen and a journal.” Keith raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know, I have lots of journals, but I have this weird urge to always buy a new one if given the chance.”

Keith chuckled and nodded before deciding on a different set. “That’s me with photo albums. I’m weak for them.”

Lance snorted and followed him to the line. “Who uses photo albums anymore?”

“I print my pictures, Mr. Modern-Day Tech.” Keith shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “I just feel like tangible photos are so much more intimate than posting them online, you know? Seeing them age. Taking them too. I have a Cannon camera I got for Christmas once and I love taking pictures with it.”

Lance made an interested “ooh” much to Keith’s subtle embarrassment. “So you’re a photographer. Does that mean you can make me look good in front of a camera?”

Keith looked at him with sharp eyes and snarky smile. “It’ll take some work, but sure,” he answered, the insult soothed by the smile on his lips and the way he bit his tongue as he watched Lance’s reaction. So _that_ was flirty teasing.

Lance just laughed and nodded. “I’ll take you up on that when I need a good picture.” Keith went up to pay and Lance waited his turn. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Keith had waited off to the side for him before walking out into the cold with him. “Have any more classes today?”

“One. It’s a film class in about an hour,” he answered. “I have this huge gap between the two classes I have today, so I’m sort of stuck on campus all day. What about you?”

Lance shook his head. “Done for the day.”

Keith chuckled and hummed under his breath before crouching into himself when he caught Lance staring. “Um, cool. Lucky for you then.”

Yeah, Lance wasn’t letting it go that easily. “Wait, what was that? That little singing thing you did.” Keith grimaced and looked away. “What?”

“That phrase just reminded me of this thing, I just- It’s from a musical,” Keith grumbled.

Lance’s eyebrows shot up and he stayed quiet for a bit. “Huh. Did not peg you for a musical guy.”

“I’m _not._ It’s just… I had a sist- friend who was really into them and I was sort of forced to sit through them. When I miss her, I listen to them.”

Lance frowned and followed Keith into the dining hall. “Sister-friend? Like a nun? What musicals?”

Heaving a sigh, Keith went around to get a pre-made sandwich and a bag of chips. Lance had already eaten, so he just followed Keith to a table where they sat and he waited expectantly. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“I’ve been told.” Keith just scoffed and smiled, but he didn’t explain. Lance desperately wanted to shake it out of him, to coax every secret and mystery out of this pretty purple-eyed half-stranger if only to have the pleasure of saying he knew Keith better than anyone. He wanted to keep Keith talking and talking and talking. But that wasn’t going to happen today, and Lance didn’t want to make him take back his friendship offer so soon. “Well, speaking of posting photos online, guess what?” Keith hummed, playing with a paper napkin and grains of pepper left on the table as he chewed. “I found your Facebook page the other day. We weren’t friends though so I didn’t send a request. I thought it might be weird.”

There was a slight chuckle, and Lance figured his honesty was gaining him points in terms of friendship level-ups. “Huh. I don’t use it much. Facebook sort of bored me. But you can add me if you want.” Lance smiled and nodded, looking at Keith’s hands as he bit into his sandwich again. “Are you okay?”

“What?”

Keith shrugged. “You just… you look a little like you did the day you asked me why I didn’t like you. Serious, sort of.” He grimaced and shook his head. “I know I don’t really know you, but… I thought I’d ask.”

Maybe it was the fact that Lance was a romantic. Or maybe he was just really into this guy. But having Keith notice something that small with how little they knew each other made him melt a little inside. He felt special.

“I appreciate that,” he said honestly. “It’s just the whole Valentine’s day thing. My last relationship ended really badly and all this lovey-dovey stuff makes me a bit moody right now.”

“Oh,” Keith said, seemingly surprised. “The heartbreak you mentioned before, right?” Lance nodded. “Okay.” He started smiling suddenly. “I have an idea. You busy this Friday after the café performances you guys do?” Lance shook his head and Keith nodded. “Perfect. We can go after that then.”

“Um okay. What are we doing?” Keith just smiled. “Is it a date?”

At that, Keith blushed and hid his face. “No,” he said with a gentle laugh. Even getting rejected didn’t suck when Keith was smiling. “This is a friends type of thing. It’ll help you feel better.” He winked and kept eating while Lance’s brain short-circuited.

“’Kay,” he managed to respond. It pulled another smile out of Keith.

Yeah, he like making him smile way more than making him angry.

\--

Lance hadn’t seen much of Keith since Valentine’s day- which Lance spent stuffing his face with pizza and binging Supernatural because he was _not_ going to cry over Nyma anymore, fuck her- so he was anxious to get to the café early again to say hi.

Pidge, Hunk, and Matt went with him, taking the time to catch up on some physics homework at the café tables.

Lance went up to the counter and waited his turn. This time, when Keith saw him, he was given a smile. Oh yeah, Lance could definitely get used to those over the cute scowls he’d get before.

“Hey, friend,” Lance greeted.

Keith chuckled and responded, “Hey, friend. What’s it going to be today?”

“Hmm… I haven’t tried the peppermint mocha. So can I get that iced?”

Keith nodded. As he rang it up, he asked, “What songs are you performing today? Anything new?”

“Ah, no not yet. But there’s this old song we’re bringing back in. I’m still working on a few new songs. I’m in a bit of a songwriting block.” Keith nodded and started making Lance’s drink. “Is there one you like by any chance?”

Keith smiled and bit his lip, mulling over the question. “I like the one that says something about a bucket list and going somewhere. I can’t remember the lyrics too well-”

“I think I know what you mean,” he said with a smile. “You laughed at that one.”

Keith gave him the drink and shrugged. “It’s a guilty pleasure, I guess.” He smiled and tilted his head. “We’re still on for tonight, right?”

“Yeah, definitely. Road trip to Galveston in the middle of the night in February. Why not?” Keith laughed and Lance couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in him either. “You’re still not going to tell me what we’re doing there, huh?”

“Nope. I think your band needs you by the way.”

Lance turned and saw Pidge setting up her drums and Hunk fumbling with his guitar. Matt was waving him over and Lance gave Keith a last smile before he turned to join them.

“Alright, so we’re singing-”

“We have to add a song to the list,” he interrupted. Matt looked at him in confusion. “We can drop the first one. We always open with that one.”

“This is because of the barista, isn’t it?” Lance smiled sheepishly and Matt rolled his eyes. “Alright, sure, which one?”

About ten minutes later, Lance was on stage with his friends, singing joyously into the mic with Matt, practically beaming at Keith as he sang the song he liked.

To his utter delight, Keith’s cheeks had turned red and he kept smiling, even mouthing the words now and then. When the song was over Keith shook his head and laughed, clapping along with the others.

They went through a few more songs, and Lance hadn’t noticed how the girls were looking at him this time. He was too focused on glancing at Keith and performing with the elation of this new dynamic he had with the cute barista.

When the performance was over, he packed his things up and walked over to the counter where Keith was cleaning up before he took off his apron. “It’s still pretty cheesy,” Keith said with a smirk as he looked at Lance.

“Aw, come on, Mullet. That was a special performance just for you!”

“I do not have a mullet,” he protested as he got out from behind the counter. He waved at the guy who had come for his shift. “I’m gonna use the bathroom first. I’ll be right back.”

As he ducked away, Lance went back to his friends. “Hey, Hunk, do you mind getting my stuff back to the apartment?”

“Where are you going?” Pidge asked.

“Nowhere.” His friends stared at him expectantly. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Galveston. With Keith. He said he had this idea, and I don’t know what it is.”

“Like a date?” Pidge asked with a smile.

“In _Galveston?”_ Matt added.

Lance hesitated. “Um. No. I asked the same, he said it’s just friends stuff. I don’t really know what… the deal is but it’s like a camp out, I guess.”

“Oh. That sounds fun! So can we come then?” Pidge asked perking up.

Lance was going to say of course not, but then Hunk nodded. “Ooh, yeah. We can see what kind of dude he is. We have to approve of him before you try to date him.”

“But… it’s just… it’s supposed to be… I mean.”

Pidge raised an eyebrow. “If it’s a friends thing, then why can’t we go? That way there’s no awkward pauses between you two and we get to see if he’s worthy of you.”

Lance narrowed his eyes at Pidge. “You’re trying to suck up to me so I’ll say yes, aren’t you?”

“Just a little,” she admitted with a laugh. “So? What do you say?”

Matt nodded, nudging Lance playfully. “For all you know, he’s a serial killer and he’s luring you to polluted beaches to kill you in your sleep.” 

 “What the fuck, man,” he muttered. He stared at his friends, and as much as he wanted to say no… he also wanted to say yes. The idea of having them there settled his nerves, and besides Matt was right. Lance had no idea who Keith was, and this sweet guy act could very well be… well an act. “Alright, yeah. Ask him when he comes back.”

Pidge and Hunk smiled widely at each other and packed up their things. When Keith came out of the bathroom, he joined Lance at the table where everyone was at. “Hey guys, what’s up?”

“Lance told us about the Galveston road trip thing you’ve got planned,” Hunk said.

Lance sighed and stuffed his hand in his pockets. “They wanted to tag along,” he said sheepishly.

Keith smiled and nodded. “That’s cool. The more the better.” Lance furrowed his eyebrows and followed him as he walked. “We can get some snack for the road. My car doesn’t have much space, if that’s okay.”

“I’m small I fit anywhere,” Pidge said with a laugh. Lance bit his lip as Keith smiled and led them across the parking lot.

They all got into Keith’s car and Lance helped Keith put some of the equipment in the back so they could drop it off. He froze when Keith opened the trunk to reveal a big beach bag of small stuffed animals from Valentines day. He stared with raised eyebrows and slack jaw.

“Um. Wow. You’ve… got a lot of admirers.”

Keith laughed aloud and shoved the things aside to put in the amps. “They’re not gifts. I bought them on sale after Valentine’s Day.”

Lance nodded then shook his head. What the fuck? “Why are you stocked up on clearance stuffed animals?” Lance asked, sliding into the passenger seat.

Keith just smirked and said, “Shut up and trust me, okay?” Lance nodded, deciding that whatever Keith had in mind was perfectly fine by him. Keith gestured to his phone as he pulled out of the parking lot. “You can plug it to the aux cord. I have Spotify on there.”

Lance nodded and grabbed the phone, ignoring the song requests coming from the back seat as he swiped at Keith’s phone. It didn’t have a lock, oddly enough. In this day and age, he figured everyone locked their phone. When he got to the home screen, he felt a little unease at the picture of a girl with dark brown hair carrying a little boy with black hair.

Did Keith… have a family of his own? Was he a teen dad? No. He’d have told Lance. He’d have said from the start that he wasn’t into guys, that he was in a relationship or something.

Lance played the first song available on recently played and put the phone down. “Uh, that’s a cute screensaver.”

Keith smiled and nodded. “Thanks. They’re my friends. Her name’s Mia, she’s the one who likes musicals.”

“And the little boy?”

“Eric. He’s a sweet kid.” Keith looked over at Lance, the look in his eyes telling Lance he knew the whole thing confused Lance. “I’ll explain eventually. It’s nothing serious.”

Lance nodded and smiled. “No rush, Mr. Mystery.” Except yes, please rush. He hummed as he thought, _Hey Mr. Mystery is a cool song name…._

When they reached Hunk and Lance’s apartment, they all got some spare changes of clothes and left their instruments in the living room. Keith mulled around, looking at the movies and video games on display while the others packed clothes. Lance lent some of his to Matt since they were about the same size, and Hunk lent some of his to Pidge because she liked oversized clothes. She was wearing one of his hoodies which reached the top of her knees and plopped down on the couch, munching on chips. Lance sat beside her, Matt trailing behind him. Hunk grabbed some snacks from the kitchen and put them in a backpack.

“I love impromptu road trips,” he said happily as they checked to make sure they had all their essentials.

“Alright, I think we’re all good,” Lance said to Keith. “Sorry about all this detour.”

Keith shook his head and smiled. “No, it’s cool. It’s actually better that there’s more people. Relax. Everyone ready to go?”

The others agreed and walked out, not bothering to stay very quiet as they reached the car and piled in again. It was barely five, so by the time they got to Galveston, it’d be nighttime. Lance wasn’t really sure what Keith was hoping to accomplish at a beach in February, much less what the point of the ridiculous amount of Valentine’s day gifts in the back were.

Still, the three hours in the car proved useful in getting a feel for Keith. Pidge insisted on making Lance play at least a few Hamilton songs. This then resulted in Keith singing along, much to Pidge’s excitement and Lance’s shock.

“You know Hamilton?” she shrieked over the music.

Keith laughed and glanced at her from the rearview. “I had to learn it against my wishes. But it’s pretty fun to sing to.”

“Oh my God, Lance marry this boy or I will. Or I’ll make Matt do it.”

“ _Pidge!”_

Keith only turned red and focused on the road, fighting a smile.

Then Matt made Lance play some 80s rock that Lance knew from his childhood. Of course, as soon as Bohemian Rhapsody came on, all five of them were singing along to it, laughing as they each tried to sing the multiple parts and tried to reach the high notes.

Hunk was more of a top 40 hits or reggae rock like 311 or The Police. That was fun because Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and Matt all started swaying side to side with exaggeration along with the music, making Keith laugh as he drove. Hunk also passed around some chips and candy so they could eat while they rode out there.

Surprisingly, Keith didn’t go straight to the beach. He drove away from it and made it all the way to a ferry.

“What are you doing, I thought we were going to the beach?” Lance asked.

“We are. What, have you never gone to Galveston Island? It’s better than the public beach and free of charge. They don’t kick you out there either, so….” He smiled and raised an eyebrow. “I told you to trust me.”

“I do! I’m trusting you. Just curious.”

Keith snickered and turned off the car as they were placed on the ferry. “Come on, the water looks cool at night.”

They all got out of the car, relieved to stretch their legs and walked out to the railing as the ferry transported them. It was chilly, and Lance could feel saltwater spraying against his face. Oh, man he’d have to really catch up on his facemask routine after this. But if he was getting to know Keith, it was worth it.

Pidge propped herself up on the railing with her eyes shut and spread her arms.

“Oh my God, Pidge are you seriously trying to pull a Titanic right now?” Matt laughed.

Pidge promptly flipped him off. “I’m trying to see what the big deal was with that scene. She said she was flying and I never got wh- _holy shit.”_ She swayed slightly and Hunk gripped her sides, helping her get her balance. “Ooh, this is so cool!” she squealed. It was the highest pitched sound Lance had ever heard come out of her mouth.

Hunk stood beside her, one hand against her back to keep her steady as he let the ocean mist hit his face. Matt scoffed and looked at Lance. “This is a joke right? They’re not actually reenacting Titanic and thinking they’re just friends?”

“Wait, they’re not dating?” Keith asked.

Lance and Matt laughed. “No, they’re not,” Lance answered. “They’ve dealt with people asking since freshman year, but nope.”

They heard Pidge laugh and she spread her arms upwards. Matt crossed his arms then shrugged. “Fuck it, now I want to see what the big deal is.” He walked over to the railing and followed after Pidge.

“This is why they’re my best friends,” Lance said.

Keith hummed and arched one eyebrow. “You want to try it too, don’t you?”

“Just a little,” he admitted, turning to the railing. Keith laughed behind him and leaned against the railing as Matt, Pidge, and Lance all sang a shitty rendition of My Heart Will Go On.

Yeah, Lance could see why this made Rose lose her shit in the movie. If you didn’t look while you gained your balance and opened your eyes when you were balanced enough on the railing, it really did look like flying. The water rushed beneath as if Lance were the one moving out over it rather than the water rushing under him because of a boat. And it helped to have the cold air rushing past his face.

“How’s flying?” Keith asked.

Lance smirked down at him. “Come try it.” Keith scoffed and shrugged, pulling himself onto the railing.

They stayed there until they were close to the drop off and had to return to the car. Keith drove on, and Lance looked down at where Keith had rested his hand against the gear shift. As the three in the back sang along to Celine Dion’s actual song, Lance couldn’t help but feel giddy at the idea of one day going somewhere with Keith and having that hand intertwined in his own. Or maybe, he’d rest it against Lance’s thigh and Lance would have his hand resting at the nape of Keith’s neck. And they’d kiss at stoplights-

“What are you staring at?” Keith asked, his eyes flickering from him to the road. The furrow in his eyebrows showed his embarrassment, which Lance mirrored.

“Nothing! Sorry. Zoned out, is all.” He chuckled nervously, and Lance pretended not to hear Pidge’s snickering in the back.

When they got to the beach, the scene was actually kind of menacing. There were maybe two other small groups of people nearby in tents set up in the back of trucks. The sea looked black, and Lance could hear the way the water sloshed and the way the waves crashed back into the ocean, glimmering silver from the moonlight.

Looking up was a calmer image. A sky full of diamonds, more than he could see from the middle of the city in Austin or Houston. It was chilly, but it wasn’t unbearable yet. Matt, Hunk, and Pidge had all lit up their phones to help Keith see his trunk better.

He pulled out the beach bag and everyone’s backpacks. Then he lifted the platform to reveal another compartment under it with a giant tent and metal rods. He excused himself to make a call then returned with a serene smile.

“So,” Pidge said breaking the silence. “What’s so special about Galveston beach?”

“Give him a few minutes.”

“Who?” Hunk asked.

“Oh God. I was right. You’re a murderer and now you’re gonna kidnap us and torture us one by one-”

Lance elbowed Matt and gave him a _shut the fuck up please_ look. But Keith just scoffed and checked his phone again.

“I’m not sure how to take the fact that you suspected me of being a serial killer,” he mumbled. “It’s a family friend of mine. He has a place out here.” He turned to the others and shrugged. “When I’d have bad days, he used to bring me out here and we’d have a bonfire. We’d just goof off and talk about whatever was wrong, making s’mores and stuff. When Lance mentioned the whole Valentine’s Day thing, I thought it could help. I came here after my first break up and you know, cliché movie moment; I burned a few photos.” He shrugged again. Lance noticed he did that if things were getting too personal or uncomfortable. He was literally trying to shrug things off.

“Well, personally, that’s a great idea. I had a shitty exam in one of my classes this week and my professor really did a number on my mental stamina,” Hunk said.

“Is that what the plushies are for?” Matt asked as Pidge peeked into the bag.

“Yeah. I’ve never burned actual fabric, so I didn’t get too many. But I did grab a bunch of cheesy Valentine’s Day cards.”

“Here you go, Lance,” Pidge said, holding out three identical cards. Lance clenched his jaw as he remembered buying this very card for Nyma the year before. He’d dragged Matt and Pidge with him to help choose the perfect card, and even when he chose this one, he was worried it was too mushy, if maybe he should’ve gotten a funny one, or if it was too bland. Pidge ended up suggesting he add in a poem- which he later used for a song- and had to continuously reassure him it was a good card.

“Yep. These are burning first,” he muttered. She smiled sympathetically at him. Keith was talking to Matt about the tent, so he hadn’t noticed which was probably a good thing. Lance didn’t want to be bitter about Nyma while he was with Keith. He just wanted to forget about her and every line he’d written for her, all that time he spent with her.

A truck came rumbling down and Keith waved it over. The back had a bunch of logs and branches. The headlights were left on as the guy got out of the truck, a tall, buff dude with unruly tufts of black hair wearing a thick black jacket.

He immediately walked over to Keith and hugged him in greeting. “Hey, Shiro. These are… my friends,” he said a little hesitantly like he wasn’t sure the others would be offended by such an accusation. “That’s Matt, Pidge and Hunk, and this is Lance. Guys, this is Shiro.”

They each greeted him, and despite how intimidating he looked, he had an easy smile and it was kind of comforting. “Everyone ready for a bonfire?” he asked.

“Yes please, I’m freezing,” Pidge said, bouncing from one foot to the other.

Lance laughed as Shiro directed them to the usual bonfire spot, gesturing around. Pidge and Hunk set to work making a circle with their feet. Shiro put music on from his car. Matt went to the back of the truck to help unload, uncharacteristically quiet.

Keith had stayed at Lance’s side. “This okay?” he asked nervously. “I don’t know if you’d been over it since I last saw you, but-”

“Hey, relax,” Lance said with a smile. “This is great. I love the beach, and I never thought to come out here in the winter. Besides, I’ve always wanted to burn stuff after a break up. This is gonna be fun. Thanks for inviting us all out here, I know it’s pretty personal.”

Before Keith could answer, Shiro’s voice cut through the wind. “Hey, lazy asses, get over here and help!” Keith laughed and tugged Lance over. Lance tried not to smile too big just because Keith had touched his arm.

It was a strange feeling. He was still hurt over Nyma, but everything about Keith made him feel… different. He wasn’t sure what kind of different, just that it was different. From the moment he’d laid eyes on Keith, he was a goner. And maybe that wasn’t reciprocated, but it could be…. Keith was the first person he actually felt he could build something real with since Nyma tore his heart out. Yeah, other people caught his eye, he flirted when he went out with his friends, but he knew it was never going to go anywhere.

So yeah, maybe he was setting himself up for another heartbreak, but this giddy feeling just from getting his arm touched was worth it, especially if there would be more to come.

Pidge and Hunk had managed to dig a trench-like circle, using the sand pushed out to make another circle around the outside, practically making chairs for them around the bonfire. Matt, Shiro, Keith, and himself had set up the branches and logs and stones for a decently sized bonfire that wouldn’t be too big.

Shiro occupied himself with lighting it as Pidge sat and fit her whole body into Hunk’s hoodie; Hunk sat beside her, and Lance sat beside him, staring at the cards in his hand. When the fire started growing, crackling and slowly warming them up, Keith and Shiro brought out a cooler and bug it into the sand.

“Is there alcohol in there?” Pidge asked.

“Uh, yeah. But also sodas and waters,” Shiro said. “Have you guys eaten?”

“We ate some candy and snacks in the car,” Keith said.

Shiro laughed and shook his head. “I can take your car and bring back some food from somewhere. What do you guys want?” The others looked at each other nervously and shrugged. “There’s a What-A-Burger nearby.”

Immediately, the orders were being called out. “Okay, maybe we should write these down,” Keith said, fumbling to get up and find paper.

“Or, I could go. We get that a lot, so I know everyone’s orders,” Matt said, standing up. “If that’s okay?”

Shiro smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Come on. Keith you staying?”

Lance silently chanted _say yes, say yes, say yes._ Keith nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I brought them here, I can’t leave them.” Shiro nodded as Keith tossed him his keys and Matt jogged after him.

“So is that cooler for all of us, or…?” Pidge asked.

Keith laughed and nodded, gesturing to it. Pidge and Hunk stood up to get themselves a drink. “Hey.” Lance hummed and looked over at Keith. “You wanna burn those?” Lance looked at his cards and nodded.

He stared at one, ripped it in half, and tossed them into the growing fire, watching the paper char, burn, and flutter to nothing but ashy bits. “I looked at every single Valentine’s Day card before choosing this one. I wrote her a song. I did so much shit for her, it’s pathetic.” He stared at the second and tossed it in next. “She broke my heart and didn’t even care.” He took a breath and looked over at Keith, his face glowing from the firelight. “You know what?” Keith hummed and met his eyes. “I’m done letting her make me feel this way. She stopped caring way before we broke up, so why should I care all this time after? It’s stupid, and I’m done.”

Keith smirked and shook his head. “Okay, Lance.”

“I mean it.”

“I know you do,” he said. He stopped Lance before he tossed the third one in. “But it sounds like she was important. So even though you mean that right now, you might take it back later. And that’s okay.” He let Lance’s arm go and gestured to the fire.

Lance tossed the third card in. “Well, tonight I’m with my friends. So tonight, she doesn’t matter. I’m sorry for dumping that on you.”

Keith shook his head and smile. “I wanted to know, remember? Besides, this is for you.” He smiled and Lance felt his heart flutter. “Mia and Eric. They’re my foster siblings. I didn’t get adopted, but I think Eric might be soon. Mia and I were really close. Still are when I get a chance to see her.”

“Foster…? _Oh._ That’s what you meant by sister-friend.” Keith laughed and nodded. “What… um… why were you in the system?”

Keith bit his lip and sighed. “Can we save that one for another day?” Lance paused and nodded, giving Keith a smile.

“You two look like you could use a drink,” Pidge said as she plopped between them and Hunk gave them each a beer. Lance didn’t usually drink if he wasn’t with his family, but he figured tonight was special. So he sat back and let his head hit the sand as he stared up at the sky, occasionally sitting up to drink his beer. Keith had taken off his jacket and was basking in the warmth of the fire. Pidge and Hunk were also laying down.

Shortly after, they sat up at the sound of a car engine and cheered as Matt and Shiro carried bags of food. They sat along with the others, everyone digging into their food ravenously as the fire and music made the February night warmer.

It was surprisingly easy to talk to Shiro. Lance couldn’t help but wonder how awkward this would’ve been without his friends here, and he was grateful that Pidge had insisted on joining.

When the beer ran out, Shiro supplied them with liquor to mix with the sodas, and after making sure everyone was above the age of 21, that was passed around too. Lance was so hyped on the social air around him, he wasn’t really paying attention to how much he was drinking and before he knew it, he was pleasantly dizzy, warm, and could actually feel the buzz loosen his limbs up.

Pidge seemed pretty tipsy too, but Hunk seemed fine and kept drinking water. Shiro and Matt were laughing at everything but Lance figured that was more of a social high than them being drunk because they also hadn’t had much to drink. Keith had a rosy blush on his cheeks and a sleepy, happy look in his eyes that told Lance he was teetering on the line between tipsy and drunk.

“Where are those plushies?” Lance asked. Keith stood and walked to his car a little quicker than normal before coming back with the bag. Pidge lunged for a small heart plushie and cooed, showing Hunk and insisting that the heart had the biggest, cutest eyes she’d ever seen.

Lance gulped down what was left of his rum and coke and raised his hands, calling for everyone’s attention. “Mkay! Mkay! I propose an anti-toast.”

“Yes! Anti-toast!” Pidge shouted.

“Wha’s a tie-toast?” Keith mumbled, stifling a yawn.

“Yeah what’s that?” Pidge added. Hunk laughed beside her.

“Like a sarcastic toast,” Matt supplied. “Instead of toasting to good things, you bring up shitty things and basically tell each shitty thing to fuck itself. Me first!” He raised his half empty cup of sprite and vodka. “I raise a toast to wanting the most expensive things while being broke as _fuck!_ ”

Hunk, Pidge, and Lance cheered. Shiro and Keith followed suit and they took a chug of their drinks. “Kay, now throw a thing in the fire,” Lance said.

Matt grabbed a small pink bear holding a heart and tossed it in. “Burn, baby, burn!” Pidge shouted. “Me next!” She stood up and raised her drink. “A toast to the assholes who think I can’t drum because I’m a girl. Because fuck them!”

Hunk whooped and the others cheered. Pidge threw the heart she’d been fawning over earlier. “To riding a bike to class because we can’t afford a Mercedes Benz like the other kids on campus,” Hunk added.

“Preach!” Matt shouted.

“To shitty bosses working you to the bone and still not promoting you after being the most loyal fucking worker there,” Keith said. More cheers. More drinking. More burning plushies.

“To living paycheck to paycheck in small apartments because we can’t afford houses in this economy,” Shiro said with a smile. Everyone shouted in agreement and laughed.

Lance was last and he grabbed another plushie, this one a red monkey with a shirt that said _Be Mine._ He looked at his friends and smiled. “To the assholes who broke our hearts. Fuck them!”

“Fuck em!” Pidge shouted.

“ _Yes!”_ Matt overlapped as the others cheered.

“Burn, motherfucker, burn!” Lance said as he tossed the plushie into the bonfire and plopped down beside Keith again. “God I love being young and stupid,” he muttered.

“I wanna go in the ocean,” Matt said. Lance perked up.

“It’s freezing,” Pidge countered. Matt shrugged. “Bet you won’t last five minutes.”

“I’ll take you up on that. Loser pays twenty bucks,” Matt said, taking off his jacket then his shirt. He started removing his jeans, and everyone shouted in protest. “What? They won’t keep me warm in there, I’ll just have wet jeans! Just have a towel ready for me.” He shimmied out of his jeans, and Pidge grumbled into Hunk’s arm, not looking.

“Wait! I’m coming with!” Lance shouted.

“What?” Keith laughed.

Lance shrugged and took off his clothes, stripping to his underwear. He shivered a bit, but the fire kept him warm. “Like what you see, papi?”

Pidge screeched and Hunk howled with laughter. “Yes! Drunk Lance is the fucking best!” Hunk said through fits of giggles. Keith simply smiled dorkily at him and watched him as he stood beside Matt.

“Count of three?” Matt asked. Lance nodded. “One. Two…. Three!” The two sped off, both shouting and covering their discomfort with laughter as they waded deeper into the freezing water. “Fuck! _Fuck!”_

“Five minutes, dumbass!” Pidge shouted. The others had stood at the shore to watch the spectacle as Lance and Matt hopped from foot to foot trying to keep from shivering.

It wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, and he was pretty sure that was because of the alcohol in his system and his inability to process all of his senses fully. The water was cold, he just couldn’t really tell how cold, he just knew he could hear Keith cheering him on, and his friends were counting down and Matt was splashing him with water.

Somehow the made it all five minutes. Lance was coaxed out of the water by Keith and wrapped in a towel. He was so pretty under the stars, his hair looked so soft, and Lance really wanted to kiss him, but after being in the ocean, he was pretty sure he’d taste gross.

Keith stared at him and Lance had no idea why he looked so wide-eyed and shocked. Until he heard Matt and Pidge laughing, excusing him because he was drunk and drunk Lance was very flirty and said exactly what was on his mind. So maybe he’d said what he thought out loud. Once they got back to the bonfire, Matt and Lance were given the chance to get into some dry clothes and return to the warmth of the bonfire.

“Hey, Shiro, not that I’m not digging the who today’s hits vibe you have but can I DJ a bit for actual dancing music?” Lance asked, continuously poking Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro laughed and nodded, walking with him to explain how to unlock the tablet he had connected for music.

Lance fumbled with it until he managed to play some Latin club music then plucked Keith up from where he was sitting. “Dance with me?”

“How?”

“Mm, watch me an’ Pidge. Pidge! Pidge!”

“Huh?”

“Dance.”

“Kay.”

Pidge joined him and danced through one song with him. When it was over, she laughed and threw her arms around him. “Oh my gosh, Lance, I love you so much, you’re the best person ever, I’m so happy we’re friends, you’re so great, I’m sorry if I’m mean to you sometimes, but I do it because I care about you, an’ you know what _fuck_ Nyma, she’s a bitch and you’re great, you’ll probably hit it off with Keith, and you’ll be so happy ‘cause you deserve it, man, you _deserve it!”_

“Okay, Pidge, why don’t you come sit down with me?” Hunk said pulling her away before Lance could join in on the heartfelt drunken moment.

“Hunk! Oh, Hunk, you’re my favorite person, I dunno what I’d do without you, I swear it, you-”

She kept rambling as she sat beside Hunk and hugged him tightly. Shiro was talking to Matt, probably teasing him for the bet based on the flush of Matt’s cheeks. So Lance pulled Keith toward him and taught him a little bit of dancing.

Lance felt warmer. His entire body was pulsing with his heartbeat. He couldn’t stop staring at Keith, with the red tinge of cheeks and the aloof daze in his violet eyes, the way he shone half silver from the moon, half orange from the fire. He felt like he was going to explode just from being able to hold his hand.

“ _Eres la persona más hermoso que he visto….”_

Keith gulped and stared at him. “Huh?”

“I think I could fall in love with you.”

“Whoa,” Keith answered, his eyes so wide it was comical.

“ _Me haces débil, sabes?”_ Lance murmured, pressing their foreheads together, putting his forefinger against Keith’s bottom lip.

Suddenly Lance wasn’t looking at Keith anymore and he was staring at the fire again. Pidge was rambling beside him, half crying, half laughing that “It’s just so cute, and everyone deserves to be happy, okay? It’s so wonderful and-” but Lance had no clue what she meant.

On his other side was Matt who was smiling as he spoke to Keith. Hey, Lance was the one talking to Keith. What the hell?

“Here you go, buddy. Drink up,” Shiro said, behind him giving him a bottle of water before sitting on the other side of Keith and giving Keith a bottle too.

After that, the rest of the night continued in broken fragments, half-remembered and filled with blanks. When Lance woke up, he was in a tent with a headache, sprawled out beside Hunk and Matt and Pidge. He stumbled out to see a pale blue sky and a brighter ocean. He squinted, not liking the taste in his mouth or the throbbing headache or the sticky feeling all over his skin.

“Morning,” he heard. He turned and saw Keith getting out of his car with a cupholder of hot drinks, presumably coffee. “Hot chocolate?” Oh. Even better.

“Thanks,” he said. “What time did we fall asleep last night?”

“I’m gonna be honest, I don’t remember,” Keith said with a laugh. “I remember bits and pieces. Shiro woke me up to get some donuts before we leave so we’re not all dying with hangovers.”

“Hey, man. You the only one up?” Shiro asked, coming up behind Keith after packing up the second tent. Lance wondered if they’d slept together in that one.

“Yep,” he answered. “Which is weird, everyone else is usually up before me.”

“I gotta say seeing you guys drunk was pretty fun. All types of drunks.”

“We’re a type?” Lance asked.

Shiro laughed. “I’m a sleepy drunk, according to Shiro,” Keith admitted.

“Yep. Matt’s a happy drunk that’s all about living life right at that moment he’s super drunk. Pidge is an affectionate drunk, which I didn’t see coming. You’re a flirty drunk.”

“Oh no,” Lance mumbled. “Did I say something stupid? I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t think so…,” Keith said uncertainly.

They both looked at Shiro, but he just shrugged and laughed. “Don’t look at me, I’m not telling. Wake the others for food.” He gave them the donuts and then clapped Keith on the shoulder. “I have to get going, I have a work shift in a bit. Let me know when you get home, okay? Lance, can you do me a favor and tell Matt to check his phone when he gets the chance?”

“Sure,” he answered. Shiro smiled and gave him a hug. “Nice meeting you.”

“Nice meeting you too. Say bye to the others for me?”

Lance nodded and Shiro got into his truck and drove away. Lance looked at Keith and smiled nervously. “Maybe Hunk can tell us what happened last night?”

Keith smiled and shook his head. “Maybe it’s best left a mystery. Besides, if you pulled any one liners like you used to, then this friendship is over.” Lance scoffed, but followed him into the tent where his friends were in. “Wanna wake them up?”

“Yikes, you don’t wake the Holt siblings up. They will get super cranky. And Hunk is impossible to wake up.” Keith laughed and backed away, leaving the food for them but leaving the tent. Lance followed him out and gestured to the sand bench Hunk and Pidge made the night before. “We could hang out there for a bit, if you want.”

Keith nodded and followed him, huddling against the wind and burrowing into his jacket as they sat. Keith faced him and tilted his head, keeping his violet eyes on Lance. “Can I ask you something?” Lance hummed. “Why’d you start flirting with me in the café?”

Lance felt his face go red as he recalled the rocky start to their… friendship. He bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck. “I thought you were really cute. Wait, that’s not supposed to be past tense. I still think you’re cute. But like, not being weird- I just, I- um. Shit.” Keith laughed softly, but he was blushing, so Lance figured he wasn’t fucking up too badly. “Let me just…. So I was really nervous going in, because we’d never performed before. And you were at the counter and I got more nervous, then I kept fumbling with my stuff and I was just all sorts of panicked. I’d wanted to go talk to you, I just didn’t know how. I guess I was also kind of riled up from all the girls making heart eyes at us after singing, and I just… felt extra cocky….” Keith snorted and rolled his eyes.

Lance looked over at him, fully prepared to tease or make some sarcastic remark, but he was floored by the way Keith’s hair kept swaying with the breeze, the red tint of his cheeks and nose from the cold, the soft smile on his face as he listened, the little gleam in his eyes which seemed gray in the sunlight. He was so… breathtaking.

“What?” Keith asked with another chuckle. Lance shook his head. “What? What were you gonna say?”

“I don’t really know, the thought sort of disappeared before it was finished.” Keith huffed and pinched his arm. “Ah! Really!”

“What were you thinking?”

Lance sighed and looked at Keith longingly. “You don’t want to know. It’s not something friends think of with friends.” Keith raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t prod. “If I hadn’t been so obnoxious when I first started trying to talk to you… would you have agreed to a date then?”

Keith smirked and sat back, thinking. “No,” he answered. “Because I sort of freak out with the idea of having to do things with strangers. I like knowing people first.”

“Hm. So where do we stand? Because… I like you. And I know I still don’t know much about you, but-”

Keith turned away, hiding his face in his hands. “God, you’re so straightforward with that,” he said, voice muffled. He looked back up with bright cheeks. “I think… we can have a few more friend hangouts. Then a date. Deal?”

“But you’re interested?” Lance asked. Keith bit his lip and nodded. Lance couldn’t help the smile that spread on his face. “Deal. And also… thanks for last night. From what I do remember, it was a lot of fun.”

Keith smiled and nodded, looking out at the water in the morning sun. Lance had a really good feeling about where this was going.


End file.
